Saishou Kesen
by Miyuki Usuki
Summary: Everybody Bardock associated with starting from the purging of Kanassasei to his death changed his life, but what were they thinking when they helped or hindered him along? [Latest: Medical Personnel]
1. Panboukin

_Saishou Kesen:_  
Panboukin 

_By: Miyuki Usuki_

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry; this didn't seem to upload right the first time. Anyway, the Saiya-jin dealt with in this story is the fat Saiya-jin from Bardock's crew: Panboukin. For those who have seen "Bardock: Father of Goku" (the dub), this is Shugesh. I choose to not call him by that because that is not his name. In this story, Tora is rightfully Toma, Fasha rightfully Celipa, and Borgos rightfully Totepo. Thank you, and please try to at least enjoy the story! 

* * *

**Vegetasei: Medical Room**

The three of us--Celipa, Totepo, and I--watched as Toma confronted the two alien doctors in the facility. For the past few days, checking up on Bardock was a necessity for the poor guy. Toma went to the medical center at least twice a day, once in the morning and once before he retired for the night. 

I felt sorry for him; Bardock was nearly killed in almost every single planet we've ever covered and then some, so Toma was pretty worried about him (I'm pretty sure "worried" was the right word). Especially after that damned Kanassasei-jin attacked--what **did** that alien do to make Bardock collapse without any trace of blood?! **Twice**?! 

With our next deadline coming up real soon, I personally want Bardock to hurry up and get himself healed up soon. Seems like Lord Freeza is giving us a challenge, taking over a planet in a mere two weeks. I'm pretty sure that since we took over Kanassasei in a mere three months, we caught his attention. Maybe, if we're lucky enough, if we do an even better job with Meatsei than we did with Kanassasei, Lord Freeza may just upgrade us. The five of us, after all, are stronger than practically all of the rest of the low-levels! 

Well, I best not get my hopes flying out there. Nobody has ever been upgraded by their **combat** ratings; it's all a matter of **mating** with the right person. Though you still wouldn't be considered a member of the higher rank, at least your offspring would. 

The bad thing about the elites, though, is that they have a major pride problem. They also take everything for granted; don't they know that without the doctors, they would be dead? 

Sadly, it's not only the elites who are often disrespectful towards the doctors; it's also our fellow low-levels. Dumbasses, all of them. They really don't know how much the doctors' lives are worth, do they? 

I **love** being a Saiya-jin and everything, but sometimes the **rest** of us gives our race a bad name. Especially the Prince; his father was a good King, but I doubt that the Prince would be able to follow in his father's footsteps. As far as I've heard--and I hear very little about this political crap--all Prince Vegeta cares about is getting stronger. If anything went wrong with Vegetasei, he wouldn't be able to handle it. Not that anything would go wrong with Vegetasei ever again, but I have this very strong feeling that the Prince would ruin our interaction with the Planet Trade... 

"He's all right physically," one of the doctors informed Toma, "but there seems to be strange brainwave patterns." 

"I see," Toma noted solemnly. 

Uh-oh. The brainwave pattern thing was new. And it didn't sound so great either. Since when did the doctors tell us what the symptoms are, though? They know better than to inform Toma of anything that would put him in a state of, well, worriedness! 

Is that even a word? 

There was only one thing that could be done to prevent Toma from a long term of depression: get him busy! We have that trip to Meatsei, don't we? Well, why not use it? We don't have to wait for Bardock to get out; sure, if we **did** wait the deadline would pass, but usually Lord Freeza gives us some leeway if our commander is stuck in the rejuvenation tank. But I don't think Toma's mentality could wait that long, and that would not have Celipa very much pleased. 

"It's no use," I told Toma in the same tone that he used, just so that I wouldn't anger him. "We should just leave without Bardock this time." 

It amazed me that Toma automatically said, "Okay"; I figured he would have objected it what with the way I worded it. Maybe he remembered that we have a deadline to go for... 

Celipa and I started walking down the hall while Totepo stayed behind to wait for Toma to stop talking to the doctors. On the way, Celipa and I started talking. Celipa had a real knack for being able to "read minds", as you might say. She could understand everybody's intentions, and I am no different than the rest. 

"That was a smart idea," she praised with a tiny smile. "Keeps Toma from getting peeved easily." 

"Also a good way to keep him from making **you** worried," I joked. "It would be an ugly sight for a female to be worried about her lover, especially if she had a bad temper." 

"I do **not** have a bad temper," Celipa growled. "You guys just happen to mess with me at all the wrong times." 

"Bad time of the month, I bet," I muttered. I checked to make sure she hadn't heard me; she had. She had one of those female "I'm going to kill you" looks. "Well, only Toma and I mess with you at the wrong times. How come you let Bardock constantly be rude to you and not us?" 

Celipa shrugged. "He's significantly stronger than me. I'm used to it. He doesn't mean to get me angry. Stuff like that." 

She stopped suddenly and turned to the window next to her. I followed suit, but as soon as I saw what was on the other side of the window, I wished I hadn't. I spun back around and sighed. "Celipa, you need to quit doing that!" 

"I'm looking for Bardock's newborn," she told me simply. I rolled my eyes. Why were women made the way they were? I could live well without them adoring **infants** more than males, especially if those infants aren't even theirs! But I guess it wasn't Celipa's fault that she didn't have any kids for herself yet. Maybe that's why she loved them so much. 

"Look, why don't you just tell Toma--" 

"Whoa!" Celipa laughed. "Kakarotto looks a lot like Bardock!" 

"Who's Kakarotto?" I asked. It was her turn to roll her eyes--did I miss something that was obvious? 

"His newborn, you idiot," then she chuckled. "Look for yourself. His hair is the exact same as Bardock's. Even though it looks like he has his mother's eyes." 

Celipa wouldn't leave me alone until I looked, I knew she wouldn't, so I had no choice. I glanced over my shoulder, but I didn't bother scanning the room to find the kid. "Where exactly is he?" 

She sighed and directed me to where Bardock's newborn kid was. After a little while of following Celipa's voice with my eyes, I saw him. Celipa was right; he looked a **lot** like his father! I wonder, since Raditz had his father's personality, would Kakarotto have his mother's personality? That seemed to be the trend with Bardock's family: look like one parent, have the attitude of the other. 

"Too bad Bardock doesn't seem to care much," Toma's voice muttered from behind us. 

From the corner of my eye I could see Celipa turning back around. I shifted my head to face my two friends, one of them rather disgusted with what we were talking about. This, of course, was Toma. He had the same views as I did on the issue of women's obsession with kids. In fact, Toma was practically scared to death of Celipa's constant contact with the younger Saiya-jins. Maybe that's why they don't have any kids yet... 

"Well, if **you** ever turn out to have no interest in your family like Bardock, trust me, you **will** regret it," Celipa snapped. 

"Hopefully it won't be any time soon. I don't happen to like the idea of trying to find someone to replace you while you take care of the kid," Toma muttered under his breath with a scowl. 

"It's going to be sooner than you think." 

"We should go now," I cut in. This was going to get ugly soon, and Totepo wouldn't have stopped them. Only if they got into a physical fight would he step in, but knowing these two, no fight would start anytime soon. 

Toma opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shut it. "You need to be more patient, Panboukin," he scolded with a laugh. "But, okay, let's go before the departure ports close." 

* * *

**Hell**

I don't know what the Hell happened. One minute I was celebrating a job well done with the others, the next... 

The next, we were attacked by a few of Freeza's minions. And killed. 

Apparently, I was the first one killed. Nobody else was down here in Hell yet, but I hoped that none of them would be--well, maybe only one. I really don't want to be lonely, but if that would mean the death of the rest of my friends, well, I can't be selfish. Only one of them would be good enough. But which one? 

I refused for one of them to be either Toma or Celipa. Just downright **refuse** for one of them to die now. I knew Celipa's dream to have a child and a family, and that would not happen if Toma died. Perhaps after a kid was conceived, then it would be all right, but by then the battle with Freeza's lackeys would be over. Is it over already? I **hope** it's over. I hope I see those four morons here soon. 

Even so, Totepo would be the better choice to die, but that wouldn't be good for either of us. To tell you the truth, if I were ever stuck with him I'm sure I'd get bored, but at least I wouldn't get myself killed--er, at least I wouldn't get myself... whatever it was that happened if you were killed again in Hell. That was something that Totepo's presence would promise me, I'm sure of it. 

Besides, Totepo never did anything in his life that deserved his death. None of us did. We always followed orders and kept ourselves and each other fit. Hell, we even saved each other numerous times, especially Toma, who saved or attempted to save Bardock's life several times. The rest of us never really did need our butts saved, and when we did Toma was either occupied with something else or elsewhere. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Toma was destined to be Bardock's protector. 

That's only **if** I didn't know any better. 

I really do hope that no one would die except for those damned aliens! 

Still, there was only one question that I could actually word to myself: _"Why the Hell was I killed?"_

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***End Panboukin's Story***


	2. Medical Personnel

_Saishou Kesen:_  
Medical Personnel 

_By: Miyuki Usuki_

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**A/N**: I know I say repeatedly that I dislike "Bardock: Father of Goku", but I have no choice but to give into giving these doctors the names that Funimation gave them. That's the only good thing that can come out of their name changing spree. That way I don't have to worry about giving the doctors names. ^_^ Malacca is that lizard-like doctor with the mohawk, and Planthor is the old anthropoid doctor. (Just for those who either hate the dub so much they forgot the doctor's names, or never saw the dub, thus not knowing the doctor's names. ~_^) 

* * *

**Vegetasei: Medical Room**

Sometimes I just wonder about how Bardock could always survive the onslaughts of the inhabitants repeatedly. It was almost "go to a planet, get injured, come home, get healed, repeat" every single time. I'd like to know what happened on those mission he and his crew takes, and what kind of trouble he gets into all the time. I'm sure that whatever stories that his crew has about what happens on those missions, no one that was a non-Saiya-jin would ever tire of. 

It isn't good medical practice to choose one's favorite patients, I won't speak for Malacca, but I've always had a great fond for Bardock and his team. They were a rare bunch; Toma is the only Saiya-jin I know who would dare to show that he cares for the rest of his friends. Totepo was the most respectful Saiya-jin I have ever encountered, and Celipa had the strangest love for children who didn't even belong to her. Panboukin had the most Saiya-jin traits, but he never insulted the others at all. Bardock, a magnet for injuries, never took his leadership qualities to a state of conceitedness as far as I've seen. 

But for dear Kinoko's sake, why wouldn't Bardock ever show compassion for his sons? I must admit that even Kinoko wasn't close to the Saiya-jin stereotype; she hadn't sought out Bardock to bite his head off for not spending enough time with his sons. I've never seen her do it, and she knows that when he gets back from a planet he's **always** in here, so she must be doing just fine on her own. 

I was still concerned for Kakarotto, though; Bardock hasn't shown enough interest in Kakarotto to follow through with Kinoko's wishes. After Kakarotto was born, Kinoko immediately went back to her post as a guard. It wasn't safe for her to do so, I even told her so, but she didn't listen: _"Let Bardock deal with Kakarotto for now. I'll take care of him sometime after the terrorism ends."_

And I remember the conversation Malacca and I had with Celipa when the crew was still on Kanassasei: _"Bardock doesn't even care. He told me to tell you to do whatever you want with him."_

Malacca was persistent to allow Kakarotto to purge a remote planet. He told me it was because no one would be eager to take care of him except for Celipa, but he also informed me that Celipa had her own problems to deal with and couldn't be burdened with her commander's infant. Unfortunately Raditz was out of the picture as well; he was currently on a purging mission and probably wouldn't be back in time to care for Kakarotto. 

I wished that I could perhaps care for Bardock's child. But I had work to do and other people to treat. I was not his personal doctor; I was **all** low-level soldiers' doctor. And Malacca and I were much weaker in physical strength than any of the full grown Saiya-jins; we were the only doctors to treat low-level soldiers, but I knew that many of the Saiya-jins wouldn't think twice to kill both of us. 

Contrary to what some ignorant people may believe, Malacca and I are not working in fear of the death of ourselves. We do not work in fear, or else we won't get anything done. It would be just the same as always, when we used to work at the Planet Trade Headquarters. That is the best way to do a thorough job with our profession. 

Luckily, Bardock was the only person in the tanks today, so Malacca and I gave him our full attention. As usual, Malacca worked behind the computer in hopes to get any kind of response. Normally I would tend to the other patients, but since there was none, I could finally rest until someone came in or Bardock started to show further signs of recovery. So far it had been about twelve hours since Toma and the others left for Meatsei, and it had been about a week since the crew returned from Kanassasei. Bardock should have been out of the tank by now; if he hadn't collapsed on Kanassasei I'm sure that the team would have been to Meatsei by now. I doubt that they would have been back, but one can just never tell with this group of Saiya-jins. 

But brainwave patterns? No Saiya-jin had ever passed out by brainwave patterns before. What was Kanassasei about, anyway? There had to have been something special on that planet that Lord Freeza wanted. Bardock's concussion proved it. I only wished that I could be permitted to leave this medical center and head towards the archives to find out what was special about Kanassasei, but I guess I could always ask Toma when he returned. 

"Is he regaining consciousness?" Malacca asked. I turned away from the table I was facing and walked behind my companion. 

Sure enough, there were signs of him waking up; the once perfectly zigzag lines were now crazy and out of control. That meant that either Bardock was in the sub-conscious mode or really was going to awaken from his two-week long sleep. It was a good thing, though; at least we can get him out of the tank when we know for sure he's completely conscious, which would be soon for sure. 

"Seems like it," I told Malacca. "Go ahead and start draining the water in a couple of minutes. I don't think that he won't be conscious after five minutes." 

Malacca nodded and set the timer on the computer before I had even finished speaking. This was one of the many reasons why I enjoyed working with him; he would rush to get the job done, but always in the most sufficient way. He never questions my suggestions or commands, but if he feels that my ideas were out of the ballpark, he would tell me. Most of the time, he's right with his hunches. I cannot count how many lives were saved from my foolishness because of him. 

I had not trusted Malacca throughout our perennial partnership. In the very beginning, when I had just been informed that I would have to work with someone else at the headquarters, I opposed the idea immediately. Since it was by Lord Freeza's orders, I had no choice but to follow through, but I loathed the fact that I would be working with an amateur. 

Malacca was a good twenty years younger than me; at the time, I was forty years old and had been working in a solitary condition for fifteen years. Never had I needed assistance. Never had I **wanted** assitance. But it had been given to me. 

When we first met, we had not gotten along at all. Malacca had had a tendency to correct every little mistake I made in my judgment, which were very insignificant for the patient's well-being. I was annoyed beyond belief. But I had not tolerated Malacca so well with my actions towards him; I'm sure I annoyed him more than he had me. I had withered my way into bossing him around all the time and trying to get things done the way I wanted them to be done. I had almost two decades more experience than he had, what was he supposed to know about treating aliens? 

Our disagreements all came tumbling down on us the day when we had been ordered to move to a new race and planet that had just joined the Planet Trade. Vegetasei. The planet of the Saiya-jins, who were already known to love fighting. Even killing, if need be. No one else would have gone to that planet, and the headquarters where Malacca and I were stationed at was about to close down. We were stuck. 

The first patient we had was indeed Bardock. At the time, six years ago, the crew contained only Bardock and Toma. The Saiya-jin King was still weary about allowing women and people with combat ratings lower than two-thousand to join at the time and even elders. Celipa fit into the women and people with combat ratings lower than two-thousand. Panboukin only the second, and Totepo as an elder. 

Nevertheless, nothing has changed between Bardock and Toma during those six years; when the two first came in, Bardock had been aggravated at his condition and Toma's worrysome questions, and Toma urging him to go into the tank. Heck, even pleading at some point. 

Toma had not, contrary to Malacca's beliefs, trusted the two of us at first. It was probably his first real encounter with an alien that he was not allow to kill, and I doubt that he was certain that the medical treatment that Malacca and I had planned to give Bardock would actually work. I can still remember that scowl Toma had given us when he had asked: 

"You won't kill him, right?" 

Unfortunately, that was what had almost happened. Malacca and I still didn't trust each other, and we had engaged in our first argument about what to do when the breathing mask malfunctioned. Malacca had wanted to see if he could fix it with the computer; I had argued that by the time he did fix the malfunction, Bardock would have been dead. I wanted to take him out of the tank. Luckily while we were arguing, Malacca had already been trying to fix the problem. It turned out that there had been a computer virus in the computer that wouldn't have anything work. Malacca, being the magnificent hack that he was, had managed to repair it before anything terrible happened. 

That was when I had learned to trust Malacca. He had a hard time trusting me, but I really could not pinpoint any sort of time when he would have changed his perspective on me. Maybe he hasn't. 

The computer beeped as a signal that the two minutes were up. It could not have been at a more perfect timing; at the same exact time, Bardock shot awake. He was very patient while the liquid drained out and the tank opened; most of the time, when a Saiya-jin was in the tank and the water had already drained to his chest, the breathing mask was off. Bardock kept it on until the tank was fully open. 

"Are you okay, Bardock?" I asked. He was one of the only four Saiya-jins I feel safe asking this question to right after he or she recovered. 

Bardock pulled off the mask and stood up. "Yeah, but I'm still a little dizzy." 

"Your clothes and armor are over there," I nodded towards a nearby table, where Bardock's original attire was. Since this time his armor was not damaged, Toma and Celipa had not had to scavenge through the closets to find clothes and an armor that was closest to Bardock's old ones. That saved them a lot of pressure; Panboukin had told Malacca, Totepo, and I that Bardock should faint more often than get injured. 

Bardock gave a sharp nod, which usually means "thanks". While he was getting dressed, there was a minute of silence while Malacca and I looked over Bardock's medical profile and while Bardock finished putting the clothing that counted onto him. It stayed quiet until the commander apparently couldn't stand it anymore. 

"I had a weird dream." 

I turned away from Malacca and his computer with perplexity. Since when did a Saiya-jin--no, since when did Bardock talk about dreams? "A dream?" 

"Yeah," was all he said. He kept quiet afterwards. He really didn't want to talk about it, I suppose. But if he wanted a conversation... 

"Are you sure you're okay?" One of the worst questions to ask after a Saiya-jin--**any** Saiya-jin--had fully woken from their sleep. Bardock just gave a short laugh. 

"I'm not like you. Of course I'm fine," Bardock said. He then sighed, and pulled on his other wrist band. "What about Toma and the others?" 

I hesitated. Normally when Bardock was in the tank, the other four had no place to go. Most of the time they were at the bar or sleeping in their rooms, and this was the first time Bardock had asked about their whereabouts. What exactly did he dream about? "They left to Meatsei upon Lord Freeza's orders," I finally informed him. 

"What?" Bardock turned to me with disbelief. Then he chuckled, snatched his scouter, and fastened it to his head. "They shunned me out! Meatsei, you say? Well, it doesn't seem too far off." 

He bolted out of the door. "Wait, Bardock!" I called. I wasn't finished with him; Malacca and I still needed to do a couple more tests for the reports of the strange brain patterns. 

Bardock didn't hear me. Or maybe he did, but he was just too thrilled about purging another planet that he ignored me. Well, if I know Bardock well enough, he'll be back here. If the brain patterns were true, he would probably collapse again. If he doesn't collapse, then he'll probably be back in pain again. Bleeding to death like always. 

I looked at Malacca hopelessly. "Sometimes the Saiya-jins, even Bardock, scare me." 

"Still your favorite patient though, right?" 

All I did was shake my head with a hopefully faint smile. 

* * *


End file.
